Webmasters, Cobras primed and ready for Bayugan hoop

CEBU, Philippines — The Phoenix Fuel Life-University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters and Mair Construction/Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras hope to further toughen up their respective teams preparatory for the 18th Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) season as they strut their wares in the 8th Mayor Kim Lope A. Asis Invitational Basketball Tournament on June 26-29 at the Lope Asis Memorial Gymnasium in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.

UC and SWU are among the six teams that will be seeing action in the cash-rich tilt that is among the highlights of Bayugan's 11th Charter Day and Bayug Festival celebrations.

"For the past eight years, it has been customary for us to treat our constituents with a very exciting and highly entertaining basketball action to make our Charter Day and Bayug Festival celebration more memorable and meaningful," said Bayugan Mayor Kim Lope Asis in a statement. "And we take pride for this being the biggest sporting event not only in our province but perhaps in the entire Mindanao region."

Aside from Cebu's Webmasters and Cobras, the other contenders in the biggest inter-collegiate hardcourt spectacle in southern Philippines that offers over half a million pesos in cash prize to the top performers are Vincare Pharma-University Sto. Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, Madyaw Construction-National University (NU) Bulldogs, ARQ Builders-Lyceum Polytechnic University (LPU) Pirates of Manila, and Greene Builders/Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan Crusaders.

They will be divided into two groups of three, and will play in a single round robin format. The top two finishers in each bracket will advance to the crossover semifinals. The winners will then dispute the title in a winner-take-all affair. The battle for fifth and third place will precede the championship match.     

Aside from trophies, the champion will take home P200,000 while the second placer will pocket P150,000. The third to fifth will receive P100,000, P75,000 and P50,000, respectively.

That is on top of the free accommodation, transportation and meals and round-the-clock security to all the participants of the four-day joust that will be under the supervision of tournament organizer and multi-titled coach Van Halen Parmis.